Being Fat, Flying United Is Expensive ITE
Posted by breadwinner on April 23rd, 2009
UN-Friendly Skies…
Being overweight in this country — or in any country — and in this economy isn’t easy. But lately it seems quite easy for the pleasantly plump to get screwed by companies who just don’t have much sympathy for their condition. Case-in-point: United Airlines. For shame…
Sad But True:
According to United, if you “are unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin; are unable to properly buckle the seatbelt using a single seatbelt extender; and/or are unable to put the seat’s armrests down when seated”, you will be asked to purchase an additional seat if you want to fly. That’s double trouble.
And Then You Get Kicked While You’re Down.
If there is not another seat available (which happens more often than not nowadays, considering airlines’ tendencies to cancel flights that aren’t stuffed to the gills), your fat ass will be made to wait for the next flight.
Fat Activists United Against United?
The news report video featured on the CBS2 Chicago site included alternating shots of: 1) a plane pulling into a gate at what I can only assume is O’Hare, and 2) cropped shots of fat folks walking around inside the airport. I call that reporting at its best! I even spotted a fanny pack! CBS2 then interviewed a self-proclaimed “Fat Activist” who was quite vocal in her opinions about the new policy. She blamed the airlines, saying that they design the teeny tiny seats to discriminate against fat people. I would agree, and I would add that they design the airflow systems to discriminate against people with a sense of smell. They also design the ceiling height to discriminate against the taller-than-five-feet, as well as the bathrooms to discriminate against all people who use bathrooms. Which leads me to my next point.
What’s The Big Deal?
According to United, there were over 700 complaints last year having to do with fatties in peoples’ ways. Sounds like a shit ton of bitching, until you consider that that number is out of the 80 million complaints United received in TOTAL last year. You know what I’d take away from that? People who fly complain. A lot. Period.
Tags: economy, fat activists, fatties, hefty, overweight, plump, united, united airlines
Flying just sucks, no matter what size you are.
And speaking of size: I’m pretty skinny, I wonder if I can start paying for half of a seat…
How would you feel if your the person who gets stuck next to one of the over sized persons? Especially if your paying more for the ticket then her/she is. Its only fair…….
Plus you fail to include that IF there is open seats, the person will be reimbursed for the cost of the extra ticket.
United Airlines sucks. Horrible service – you have to pay extra for everything! – baggage, meals, drinks, headphones, in-flight entertainment, pillow & blanket, etc. On Continental, that’s all included! (except for alcoholic drinks of course!). I love Continental, and am loathing the merger!